Take Lebesgue decompositions relative to a fixed finite positive measure . The finite union of null supports of their singular components is still -null. On each original measure equals its singular component; on it equals its absolutely continuous component. Restriction commutes with the partition formula defining the finite supremum of positive measures. Thus the supremum restricts to on and to off . The latter is absolutely continuous with respect to because it is bounded by the sum of the absolutely continuous components. Uniqueness of the Lebesgue decomposition proves the displayed identities, and the Radon-Nikodym derivative of the absolutely continuous component is the pointwise maximum of the individual derivatives.
Write for the partition supremum. Empty cells are permitted, so for each , and is finite. Also .
Let . Any measurable partition yields
Taking its supremum gives one inequality. Conversely, for any choose for each a partition whose sum exceeds . The sets partition , and countable additivity of each gives . Let . Thus is a finite measure.
If another measure dominates every , then for every such partition . Consequently . Hence is the least dominating measure, the finite supremum of positive measures. It generally differs from the pointwise maximum of the numbers : the maximizing index may differ between pieces of .